Amazing World of Gumball: Going to High School
by Caelum T. Myers
Summary: Gumball and gang are leaving Elmore Junior High. What's next for Gumball? Will he finally ask Penny out? Will new romance bloom? What will High school be like? One thing is for sure; as Gumball and his friends grow up, the adventures and problems they have will grow with them. Hope you join us as Gumball's misadventure continue.
1. The Fall

**I do not own TAWoG or any of the characters herein. They are the intellectual property of whichever entity can legally make that claim (most importantly not me). This is a fan fiction written by Caelum T. Myers.**

Sqeeeee!

The hinges complained as Gumball Watterson opened his locker and mentally cataloged its contents: a comb, two pens, a carefully folded piece of paper, a slightly crumpled drawing, and a picture taped to the wall in the back. He'd already returned his school books and this is all there was left. He sighed and set to work.

The comb and pens went in his pocket. Next he picked up the folded note and opened it up. There, in faded letters, were words he had read nearly a thousand times; _Would you be the jelly in my peanut butter sandwich?_ Reading them always made his heart pound. Penny's note had been hard to find. Gumball had spent 3 days going though the school dumpster before he found it. But it was worth it. He had a mega crush in the girl since 6th grade and this note was the first real evidence that she might like him too. After a moment, he carefully refolded the note and tucked it safely into his wallet.

Gumball frowned at the crumpled drawing. He thought about just throwing it away, but curiosity got the better of him, and he soon found himself staring at a ludicrously handsome version of himself. His muscles were greatly exaggerated, as usual, but at least he had his shirt on in this one. The image was very flattering. Really there was only one problem with it. His bodywas pressed tightly against the form of Sarah. _Sarah._ She had been stuffing these into his locker ever since he and Darwin had acted out her stupid script. Irritated, he crumpled the drawing and sent it to join its predecessors in the trash.

"Wow, she's getting good." On his right, Gumball saw his pseudo-brother, Darwin Raglan Caspian Ahab Poseidon Nicodemius Watterson III. Noticing Gumball, Darwin smiled, "Hey, dude. Whacha get this time?" He held up his own paper, revealing an underwater scene. He and Sarah were suspended in a colorful coral reef. Darwin's likeness was also ridiculously handsome and muscular. Gumball did have to admit that the rest of the drawing was almost lifelike. He shrugged, and pointed at the trash. "Make-out scene against the lockers", he said before he reached into his locker to retrieve the final item; their 6th grade class photo.

Gumball stared at the picture, amazed at how everyone had changed. He scanned the rows of faces until he found the one he wanted. He smiled as he took in his younger self - short, stubby legs and a head way too big for the rest of him. Thankfully, the last 3 years had evened him out... OK, so his head was still a _little_ big. He was 15 now and at nearly 5'10", he'd managed to be taller than most of his classmates. His coat had darkened a bit and now his fur was a deep navy blue. Thanks to Coach, he'd even buffed up a little, but his cat body tended more toward lithe and sleek than powerful. He gave up his trademark sweater a while back and now he favored t-shirts and and the occasional hoody. Secretly, he thought t-shirts showed off his body better. He still didn't wear shoes, though.

Next to him, then as now, was Darwin. Darwin had changed radically. No one knew what to expect given that there hadn't been any other cases of pet goldfish growing legs and learning to breath air. At 13, he stood 5'6" with a streamlined body and long legs. The kid was built for seep in _or_ out of the water. Darwin's body had lengthened and curved until it was roughly "S" shaped. This had effectively given him a chest. His fins had also developed spiny digits that passed for fingers. He had begun wearing clothes shortly after growing a chest. His new posture had unexpectedly exposed parts of him. Gumball smiled at the memory. It was the first time Darwin had to wear that embarrassing blur. He had taken to wearing sweatshirts and other baggy tops to accommodate his unusual shape. His pants had to be tailored to allow his now longer tail to be free. He still felt naked without his shoes though.

"...hellooo? Dude?", Darwin's voice cut into Gumball's thoughts and brought him back to reality.

"Huh?... What? Oh! Sorry, what did you say, bro?", Gumball asked, looking at his brother.

Darwin sighed, "I said, what are looking at? You've been staring at that thing for, like, 5 minutes and haven't heard a word I said."

"Oh, just an old picture, man. It's from a couple of years ago, near the end of 6th grade", Gumball said and held the picture up so the fish boy could see it.

"Pft... man, I forgot how small and dorky you used to be..." Darwin's voice ended in a now rare squeak as he tried to keep from laughing and failed. "Ha ha ha!"

"Grrr, what the what are you laughing at? I seem to remember _that_ little fish boy," Gumball growled and poked at his brother's younger image for emphasis, "falling madly in love with that small dorky kid just because he was wearing A DRESS!"

Darwin crossed his arms and tried to look angry but tears rolled down his face as he broke into sobs. "That was really low, man. I was in love. Why did you take that away from me?!" Darwin bawled. He had never quite gotten over his crush, even when Gumball finally admitted what had happened.

Gumball sighed. "Oh maan. Look, I'm sorry, dude, but it wasn't real."

"It _was_ real... to me." Darwin whispered, tapping himself on the chest. Gumball hugged him and pet his head, "I know... I'm sorry, buddy." "It's OK, I forgive you." They both sighed contentedly.

"Oh hey, did you say you tried to tell me something earlier?" Gumball asked.

"Oh yeah, dude. Did you pass? Come on, how'd you do? How'd you do?" Darwin jumped up and down flapping his fin-arms.

"Calm down, dude! Here, see for your self." Gumball smuggly handed over his final report card.

Math C

Science C+

History B

English A

Home Ec B+

Geography D-

Sport A

Music A

"Dude, you got an A in Music? You've barely been passing that class." Darwin had worried about Gumball's grade all semester. Gumball needed that credit to advance, and he had failed Music most of 6th grade.

"Finally found my instrument, bro. Apparently, I have a superb sense of rhythm. I just couldn't keep all the different notes straight. So, I talked to Miss Cello, she put me on a drum. Once I didn't have to worry about figuring out different notes, I did pretty well. Hmm, simple actually." Gumball shrugged, "The final was, like, 90% of the grade and all I had to do was play a sheet of music to prove I could read it."

"Bro, that's fin-flappin-tastic! You remember what Mrs. Mom said? Erhmm," Darwin cleared his throat before continuing in a near perfect impression of Nicole Watterson. "Look, Gumball, I'll tell you what. You bring me a report card with at least 3 A's on it and NO F's, and I'll let you have a car."

Darwin grabbed Gumball by the shirt and yelled, "DO YOU _KNOW_ WHAT THIS MEANS!?"

"Oh ho ho yeah, dude..." Gumball and Darwin did a little hop and pointed at each other before shouting, "OUR OWN CAR!" And began to dance, singing, "Who's got a car?" "We gotta car!" "Whooo, I said, who's got a car?" "We got a car!" Gumball and Darwin were so busy celebrating, they didn't even notice when Carrie popped in a few feet away. After a moment, Gumball saw her, though. She was leaning against her locker, giggling at them dance. Giggling wasn't something the old Carrie would have done. It was a nice byproduct of the many changes she'd undergone.

About six months ago, she had looked exactly the as she always had... until she had hit something she called ghost puberty. Now she stood just a few inches shorter than Gumball. On legs no less. She had matured in a single day. Her hair now reached the middle of her back but she still had those bangs over left eye. With her ghostly grey eyes and a full, curvaceous figure, she was sought after by most of the boys in school. She turned them all down, but they kept trying. It so bad that now the only boys she hung out with were Gumball and Darwin. She always said it was because they didn't pressure her. Gumball enjoyed her company even before her change. After her change, she was able to feel and eat, so she'd brightened up a lot and was even more fun to be around. He was happy she could experience what living was like. She deserved it.

Gumball was so caught up in his thoughts and dancing, he was startled when her familiar voice broke through their revelry..

"Hey boys, what's up?" Carrie asked walking up and leaning against the lockers.

As answer, Gumball danced over, handed her his report card, turned to Darwin and shouted "Who's got a car!?"

Darwin spun, did the splits, and answered, "We got a car!"!

Carrie studied the card for a moment. A smile appeared on her face and grew until she was beaming with pride. Turning back to Carrie, Gumball's heart skipped a beat. A blind man would have noticed how beautiful she looked just then. Gumball wasn't blind. Her eyes sparkled with emotion, and her smile was positively radiant. His mouth fell open and his brain stopped working for a second. Unfortunately, that was when Carrie threw her arms opened and flung herself at him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her weight slammed into him. Of course, he started to fall. Carrie screamed as they toppled backwards.

The fear in that scream ripped through Gumball, awaking a primal instinct in him. His new instinct took over. Pulling Carrie's legs around his waist, he planted one foot behind him, kicked off the ground, and sent them sailing backwards. "Hold tight! " Gumball shouted. With a monumental effort, he overcame their combined center of gravity and brought his legs up and in, spinning them into a backflip. He felt her arms and legs clamp around him as they flipped across the hall. At just the right moment, his feet planted on the opposite wall and he savagely kicked off, this time swinging his legs forward to land on his feet. But the wall was getting close too fast. _Beans_, he thought. He was gonna need to do something.

In a millisecond, he spun them around to face the other way. "Don't let go!" he yelled, unsheathed his claws and put on the brakes. The ear-numbing sound of silverware scratching a plate filled the hall and Gumball fought to find purchase on the ceramic tile. Carrie seemed to have gotten the message. She was clinging to him so hard, he was having trouble breathing. He ground his teeth and strained his claws against the hard surface. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to his aching paws, they stopped. He looked up see Darwin staring at him with his mouth hanging open, still doing the splits.

Down the hall, a group of people stood frozen in the door way with similar expressions and he could have sworn he heard Coach say, "Watterson one, hall zero." before it all caught up to him and he toppled over, passed out.

* * *

Carrie was shaking. The last few seconds replayed in her mind. She was so proud that Gumball had done well, she had hugged him without thinking. Then she felt terrified and screamed as they fell. Then Gumball had done... _that_. Suddenly, he'd swept her up and propelled them into the air. When the view over Gumball's shoulder suddenly changed from a few dented lockers to the ceiling, she squeezed her eyes shut and clung to him even tighter, if that was possible, while he came down on all fours to try to stop them. When they did stop, she looked up just in time to see his eyes roll into the back of his head. Then she had her hands full as she struggled desperately to lower him to the floor without hurting him.

She lay panting against Gumball's chest, trying to recover from the shock of their ordeal, when she heard footsteps. Footsteps running toward her. Slowly, she released Gumball, and shakily sat up. Orange sneakers, topped with long shapely brown legs were the first thing she saw. She followed the legs up as they disappeared into an hourglass shaped shell and found herself looking into the astonished face of Penny Fitzgerald. She was flanked on either side by four other girls: Misami, Teri, Carmen and Molly. Every face had the same shocked expression. Carrie rubbed her arm in embarrassment and looked down. She was surprised to realize she was still holding Gumball's report card.

"Uh, hi guys. What's up?" Carries shook and voice trailed off. Coach came running up and pointed at Masami.

"You. Go get the nurse. Krueger, what happened here?" Coach's monotone voice droned..

Carrie was still unsettled and answered rapid fire, "Gumball got good grades and we were celebrating, and I was proud, so I tried to give him a hug, but we started to fall and I screamed, then Gumball did this flip and-"

"We know. We saw him backflip like a boss. How did this happen?" Coach pointed to the four bloody lines starting a few feet away and ending at her and Gumball.

As soon as Carrie saw them, her eyes went to Gumball's paws. Sure enough, they were wet with the dark stain of blood. "Oh, no", Carrie cried, "He's hurt!"Tears filled her eyes as she pointed out his injury. "I think we was trying to stop us so we wouldn't crash." Carrie crossed her arms miserably. She was wracked with guilt and her own hands ached in sympathy.

"Excuse me, please. Where is the injured student? Ah! Watterson. I might have known," the tall figure of the school nurse muttered as she bent down and looked at Gumball's paws. "OK, Coach. I've got it from here. Teri would you be a dear and go get Rocky to clean this floor? Penny, Carrie? Will you help me get him on the stretcher? That's good girls. Now, lift together. Alright, let's get him to the infirmary." The Band-Aid had plenty of practice dealing with this blue cat's messes. She wasted no time in taking control and calming everyone down.

When they reached the infirmary, the nurse turned to the girls. "Please put him on the bed. Thank you girls, you can go now." She turned around and got a few bandages and some tape. When she turned back, she looked surprised to find the girls still huddled clinging together and staring tearfully at her patient. She sighed and moved sternly toward the girls, " I said-"

"Can I stay?" Carrie rushed to . "Please? It's all my fault he got hurt. I need to know that he's okay."

"What about you?" The nurse asked Penny.

"There was an awful lot of blood... I'd really like to stay, if that's alright." Penny shifted nervously and glanced at Gumball.

"Fine, but stay out of the way." The nurse got busy. "Hmm. Lucky boy. Nothing broken... No claws missing. Looks like the floor filed his claws though." She frowned. "Filed them right to the quick. There's the cause for the blood. Alright! I'll get him bandaged up. He won't be able to use his hands for a few days, but he'll be right as rain in a week or two."

As the nurse worked, Carrie and Penny waited anxiously. When Carrie heard the nurse say he would be OK her knees buckled and relief flooded through her as she sank to the floor. "Really? He's going to be OK?" She asked, "Oh, thank goodness." Penny knelt and tried to comfort her friend. When she felt Penny's arm around her, her restraint broke. She began to sob, overcome by an odd mixture of guilt, sorrow, and relief. The nurse watched silently for a few minutes and rolled her eyes.

"Yes, well," the nurse said dryly, "this is all very dramatic, but I think you're overreacting. If you recall, Watterson has been hurt worse than this several times." She handed Carrie a tissue.

"That's true," Carrie sniffed, "but he was never hurt because of me! I made him eat too much a couple of times but I never hurt him!"

"Ugh, don't cry, Carrie." Gumball tried to lift himself up. "It's not - Ouch! - it's not your fault."

"Gumball!" Penny and Carrie rushed over. Carrie punched him in the arm, "What were you thinking? You nearly scared me to re-death!" She saw him wince when she hit him. "Ooooh, sorry! I didn't mean that. Why did you do that Gumball?"

Gumball chuckled. Thinking he was laughing at her, Carrie got ready to hit him again. He held up his bandaged hands, placatingly. "Easy there. I was just laughing cause I know the answer, for once." He shrugged with a grimace. "It was instinct."

Carrie and Penny looked at each other, then back at him with quizzically.

Gumball relaxed and closed his eyes. "Cats," he said simply, "always land on their feet." With that, he fell asleep, leaving the girls to stare dumbfounded at him.

* * *

Miles away, another cat was staring blankly at the body of the woman she had called mother for 15 years. Her mind was abuzz and she struggled to process what her "mom" had told her.

_She was sitting in a hospital room as her mother wheezed softly, close to death. After the accident, her condition had slowly worsened. Now, it was only a matter of time. For two weeks, Lilly McMillan stayed near her mother's room, hoping for her to awaken. When she finally did, she said only 4 words "... not my... daughter." She said pointing at Lilly. "Elmore..." Her mother gasped. Then she was gone._

She always wondered how a crowbar had a pink cat for a daughter, but she figured it didn't matter. She stood up at a sudden though. _The attic!_ It was the only place in the house she'd never been. Maybe it would hold some answers.

Lilly grabbed her keys, and headed for the door. Just as she reached the door, a searing pain ripped through her paws. She stared at them, panting, confused. After the pain subsided, she looked back at her mother. She was somehow sure this had to do with her revelation. A tear slid down her face and she whispered one word - "Goodbye." Then she was gone too.

**So, what will Lilly find in the attic? And what is going through Penny's head after seeing the easy interaction between Gumball and Carrie? **

**Rearranged some chapters here. I will bring the Carrie chapter back when it is a bit more appropriate. It was kind of misplace at chapter 2.**


	2. Home at Last

**Holy cow! I feel like I'm possessed. Like I said last time, we will be exploring Penny's point of veiw in this one. We will spend a little time learning about Carrie's changes. We will also follow Lilly as she discovers the truth about herself. But what will she do about it? Well, read on, dear readers, and let's find out.**

Penny stared at Gumball. "Instinct? Cats always land on their feet?" She repeated his words slowly. Then it dawned on her. Kittens couldn't always land on their feet, but as they got older the instinct kicked in. That must have been what he meant . When Gumball was falling, his dormant feline instincts had finally taken over. _And, being Gumball, he wouldn't have let a lady fall just to save himself_, she privately gushed.

She glanced over at Carrie and felt a little twinge of jealousy at the way she had spoken so easily with him. Seeing Carrie's perplexed look, she relished a moment of triumph. Knowing she'd been the first to understand made her feel a rush of superiority. It was tainted, though, by the guilt she felt at her own pettiness. She shared her revelation with Carrie, who promptly slapped herself in the forehead.

"So it _was_ my fault." she groaned. "None of it would have happened if I'd just kept that hug to myself."

Penny cringed as jealousy tugged at her heart again. "So, uh, why did you hug him anyway?" Penny shifted anxiously, hoping Carrie didn't realized her motives.

Smiling, Carrie produced his report card. Penny was a little surprised at the grades, but didn't understand why they would warrant a celebration. "He and Mrs. Watterson made a deal. If he got 3 A's and didn't fail anything, she'd get him a car. Now, even if she does, he won't be able to drive for a while." Carries smile faded and she looked miserable again.

Again Penny felt guilty for her suspicions. She also sympathized with Carrie's feelings. She had felt the same way when her own pet spider, Mr. Cuddles, had nearly killed Gumball. She made the situation worse by bringing the tarantula to the hospital. The spider had immediately attacked again. Still she supposed they were even now. After he'd shoved that blueberry cupcake in her face, then accidentally given her thumb tacks instead of the allergy medication in her locker, she called it even. He didn't know she was allergic to blueberries.

Actually she and Gumball were something she needed to figure out. She liked him, but she got tongue - tied around him. She had a tendency to be indirect in matters of the heart. Gumball hadn't caught the hint. How in the world was she supposed to get him to be with her if she couldn't just say what she meant to him? Her mind flashed back to the comfortable way Carrie and Gumball were talking._ Maybe she can help me_, Penny mused. She looked at Carries miserable face and was reminded of the situation at hand. _Maybe later_, she thought_, right now, she needs help._

Penny patted Carrie sympathetically on the shoulder. She didn't know what else to do. She couldn't exactly argue with the ghost teen. Maybe it would work out and she could make it up to him, somehow._ That's it!_, she thought. Her mind worked quickly, and she soon had a plan that would benefit everyone. As she laid out her plan to Carrie, the girls both began to smile. In fact, when Gumball awoke, he was greeted by two of the most beautifully smiling faces he'd ever seen.

* * *

It had been a week since Pryar McMillan passed away and Lilly still hadn't gone into the attic. She wanted to but so far she had just stood in front of the door, hand on the handle, frozen. She wasn't sure she wanted to go up there. What if her family had given her away? Would they want her back? Slowly, though, her curiosity got the better of her. But every time she found a reason not to open the door.

At first she had a lot to do with settling her mother's affairs and arranging the funeral. Now, with her mother's surprising estate transferred to her and the funeral finished a few hours earlier, she wandered through the house aimlessly. She kept coming back to the door. As she stood in front of it, yet again, a determined look hardened her eyes. She reached out and turned... wait what?

The door was locked! Suddenly angry at being denied, she grasped the handle and ripped the door off its hinges. After a moment, she blinked as if waking up. Now how did I manage that? She wondered. She shrugged and set the door to the side.

She slowly ascended the stairs, every doubt and hope for what she might find whirling through her mind. She pushed down her anxiety and poked her head above the staircase. For an attic it was surprisingly empty. There was a stroller, a small box and a desk. Ignoring the stroller, she went to the most imposing object.

The desk was littered with newspaper clippings. They were a bunch of articles about robberies from before she was born. As she shuffled through the clippings, an article with a picture of a small, pink baby made her drop the stack of papers with a gasp. With shaking paws she picked up the clipping and read.

_...tragedy in Elmore today. The infamous Pry Bar Bandit struck this city in more ways than one. Witnesses report that during a heist at the Elmore City Bank, an unsuspecting mother was robbed of one of her children. Lexy Watterson, daughter of Nicole and Richard Watterson, became the perfect cover for the disguised bank robber to walk undetected past the police. A city-wide manhunt is being conducted to locate the missing child. _

_Nicole Watterson stated, "I had put her in the stroller and turned to speak to the teller. When I turned back, the stroller was gone. I didn't even know the bank was robbed until later!"_

Lilly walked over and looked at the stroller and little box next to it. She swallowed hard and picked up the box. She was afraid of what she would see but now she had to know. She took a deep breath and opened the lid. Her hand flew over her mouth. Inside the box lay a baby outfit and a camcorder. On the outfit, embroidered on the chest was the name. Lexy.

The camcorder held few surprises at this point. Her "mother" had taken her and meant to give her back, but had grown attached. Lilly - no. Her name was Lexy. She needed to get used to that. Lexy was disgusted. Her kidnapper, she forced herself to call the woman what she was, had done something helpful. On the recording gave the address and phone number of her real family before she apologized. Lexy didn't want to hear it.

She rushed downstairs, grabbed the phone and dialed the number. It rang two times before a woman's voice answered. "You've reached the Watterson's residence. We aren't home right-" Lexy slammed the phone down. She suddenly realized she had no idea what she would say. "Hi, how are you doing? By the way I'm your long-lost daughter. Surprise!" The bitterness in her voice was so strong she could literally taste it.

She was suddenly furious. "How dare she do this to me?", she raged. The woman took away her family and her whole life. In her anger, she grabbed the nearest thing and smashed it on the floor. As she looked at the crumpled mess that used to be a phone, she felt a little better. Seizing on that she rampaged through the house. Eventually, drained of anger, she sank to her knees amid the destruction and sobbed. She cried for the life she could have had and the mother she didn't know. She cried for the loss of the mother she had known. She cried until she fell asleep among the rubble that was once her life.

When she woke, she felt cleansed, and resolved. She grabbed her keys and the baby outfit, walked out the door, and drove straight to the address on the camcorder. She walked straight up to the door and rang the doorbell. After a moment, the door swung open and a tired looking blue cat stood looking at her.

"Yes, miss? Can I help you?" Nicole asked.

The young pink cat opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Tears filled her eyes and she held up a faded outfit. Nicole's eyes shot open. Her lips quivered as her eyes darted back forth between the outfit and the pink cat on her doorstep. When she finally spoke, it was barely a whisper, "Lexy? Lexy, is It really you?"

The sob escaped the girl and she nodded tears streaming down her face. Nicole rushed forward and enveloped her lost child in a hug filled with 15 years of love. Tears of joy ran unchecked down her own face. "My baby! Oh, my baby! I missed you so much!" She stroked her daughter's head.

"Oh Mom!" Lexy cried, "Mom!"

* * *

Woosh, POW!

Carrie teleported into. _Alright!_ she silently cheered, _Totally nailed it that time. _Out of habit, she flipped her hair in triumph. Her smug smile changed to one of fondness when she caught a brief, unobstructed view of the pictures on her dresser. Gumball, Darwin, and herself smiled back at her from many of them. After concentrating for a moment, her tail resolved into two long legs. She checked to make sure her black lace skirt was in place and flopped graceless on her bed, exhausted after her ordeal with Gumball and the results of his injuries. With him stuck in the nurse's office, she'd had to deal with that swarm of males again. She wasn't sure she would ever get the hang of dealing with boys.

At least she was finally starting to get the hang of this ghost puberty stuff. Carrie had started the school year looking exactly the same as she had since childhood. She remembered last year when she had felt so left behind as the other girls developed and she didn't. That all changed a few months ago, finally. But when her own body... form... whatever, did change, the changes were rapid and numerous. She sighed, remembering what she had gone though before she had learned about ghost puberty.

First she had woken up one morning to find out that her body was ballooning. By the end of the week, she resembled nothing more than a beach ball floating through the school halls. After all the teasing she'd gotten that week she swore to leave school and never return. She didn't think it could get worse. She was wrong.

After balloon week, she awoke to a completely new body. This one was decidedly more mature, and, she soon realized, very embarrassing. As she checked herself out, she discovered a few interesting things. First, she had legs and... some other lower body parts absent until now. She also had hips and curves just like she'd seen her friends get. Her hair had grown to reach the middle of her back and she had gained a few feet. As she stood in front of the mirror, she finally noted a couple more additions - ones she felt obligated to put her arm over. She would have danced if she knew how to make her legs move correctly at the time. This was the answer to her prayers. Then came the bad news.

All her ghost powers seemed to have disappeared. She couldn't phase, teleport, or turn invisible. On top of that, her middle felt strange and hollow and hurt. But worst of all, she didn't have a stitch of clothing! She never needed them before, but now she couldn't bear to leave her room without something to cover herself. So she stayed in her room for 3 days and missed a day of school before her grandmother finally figured out something was wrong. That's when Carrie got the book... and a wardrobe.

She grimaced at all the memory of all the technical stuff in the book her disembodied hand of a grandmother had given her. Still, she was glad to have it or she might really have lost her mind. After she was finally able to cover herself, she sat down and began reading where her grandmother was tapping the page.

_... ectoplasmic origin entities (also known as spiritborn, because these entities are born as ghosts) differ from normal ectoplasmic entities because they are unable to enter the underworld. As a result, the amount of ectoplasm available to them is limited. When a spiritborn's ectoplasmic reserve reaches a critical level, they undergo a process known as Metabolically Enhanced Necrosis and Sexual Effect Shift, or MENSES for short. This is also commonly referred to as "ghost puberty" as the connotation is disliked by male spiritborn._

_In preparation for this process the young spiritborn's ectoplasmic form engorges with their remaining ectoplasmic reserves to fuel the metamorphosis. After approximately 5-7 days the ectoplasmic form undergoes the shift. The spiritborn's form become noticeably larger and sexually mature. In fact, it isn't until this process that genitalia are developed. These highly visible effects disguise other significant changes._

_Female spiritborn begin to experience menstraul cycles and males begin producing sperm, thus rendering them capable of engendering offspring. Offspring of spiritborn are determined by the female parent (Living female parents will produce fully living children, though cases of psychic abilities are common in these offspring. While spiritborn children will only be born to female spiritborn). Additionally the spiritborn will now require sustenance. Their new forms have developed to specifically to allow them to derive the ectoplasm they require from one or more sources. Depending on how they feed, spiritborn now fall into one or more of the following categories:_

_Spector - Technically, all spiritborn fall into this catagory. Simply by being near other lifeforms they are able to get enough ectoplasm from the atmosphere to sustain their forms. This means that they cannot actually starve, but a spector has no powers whatsoever. (A note was written here) Ha! Shows what you know. Fasting improves control and increases power._

_Necrophage - Most spiritborn fit into this category as well due to the fact that they feel hunger and can now digest matter. This generally refers to those who choose a fairly normal existance, deriving the ectoplasm they require from food much like living beings. A single meal provides meager amounts of ectoplasm however, and limits their ethereal abilities. Often they only have the most basic, including flight, teleport, phase, and minor form control such as tail/leg manipulation and clothing projection._

_Incubi/Succubi - these spiritborn use their highly sexual nature procure energy from others. They are able to derive ectoplasm from the sexual emissions of their partners. These substances are high in ectoplasm, but the spiritborn generally need multiple partners to enable them to use many of the abilities they rely on. Chief among these are major form control, allowing them assume effectively any shape, and glamour, a come hither aura used similar to animal pheromones, to attract potential partners._

_Reaper - these dangerous spiritborn feed directly from living beings. This feeding method is accomplished via possession where upon the spiritborn feed directly on the host's living soul. As souls are pure ectoplasm, this yields the most known ectoplasm to the spiritborn and few ethereal abilities are beyond the scope of these malevolent entities. This power comes with a price as the soul fragments they consume merge with their own conciousness, causing torment, pain, and eventual madness._

Carries still hadn't gotten her head around it. Basically, she could eat now. Or rather she needed to eat now. When she figured that out, she had gone on a bender that made her food rampages in Gumball seem like snacks. She'd had to miss a week of school while she recovered from a hard lesson about moderation. She'd also found that she needed to wear clothes most of the time. Though mature spiritborn usually projected their own ectoplasmic clothing, she sometimes lost focus on maintaining them. She only had to find herself, embarrassingly, at the center of attention once before she developed a habit of wearing a (usually) black t-shirt and skirt. She would have proffered jeans, but a ghostly tail and pants didn't mix. She kept her skull clip and wore It every day.

Carrie smiled again, a happy, simple smile. Aside from the occasional embarrassing moment, Carrie had a pretty happy life...err... existence now. She hadn't thought she could end up like this. She had expected a miserable afterlife with very little to look forward to. All she ever wanted was to be like her friends. This new body had given her that, _and_ had let her stay her. She wondered if that was what puberty was like for everyone else. She felt different, but the same.

That was the best part, too. Finally, she was able to feel. Her body could feel when she needed to eat, pain, and even pleasure. She could taste things now. It was totally different from when she possessed people to eat. She could actually enjoy things now. And she could still fly and teleport if she ate regularly. As far as she could tell, she had won the genetic lottery.

Now there was just one thing left she wanted - Gumball. She had a crush on him for years now. And as she looked at the pictures of the handsome blue cat lining her dresser, she felt that familiar rush of emotion for him. _Maybe the plan will finally make him notice my feelings_, she thought. _Or maybe you're just a masochist_, she chided herself silently, _you know he has a thing for Penny, you know Penny is your friend, and you know that she likes him, too. What do you think will happen? That he will suddenly love you? And what about Penny? Would you betray her?_ Carrie heaved a heavy sigh. _At least I can be his friend. At least... at least, I can be near him like this, _she thought, a little glumly, and pushing herself up, walked downstairs to get some food.

**Ok, got that out of the way. Hope you don't mind me nerding out on the ghost stuff. But what are Penny and Carrie planning? And how will Gumball handle the return of his twin? Find out next chapter.**


	3. Revelation

**Lexy took up a lot of the last chapter, so this chapter we will get back to Gumball. What was it that Penny and Carrie are planning? And how will Gumball react to his twins reappearance? I'm anxious to find out. (I write these before I start and I don't even know how this will go yet)**

Gumball was a little bewildered. In the week since his injury, he'd been living in a strange heaven. True, he couldn't use his hands. He wasn't sure that was a bad thing, though. Carrie had demanded that Gumball allow her to help him until he healed. She had literally been his hands for a week now. There had been a few awkward moments, though. Since Gumball couldn't use his hands, going to the bathroom alone was an exercise in futility, but he wouldn't let anyone, let alone Carrie, help him.

He stood firm for a while, but was reaching his breaking point when Carrie came up with a compromise. "Since your thumbs aren't hurt," she reasoned, "all I need to do is undo your pants." It was more than a little embarrassing to let a girl undo his pants, but he really didn't have any options. Thankfully this proved to be a useful solution in other situations. Carrie was able to help him change clothes this way, and, with the help of some swimming trunks, she even helped him bathe.

Nicole seemed a bit nervous about it at first. When Carrie walked Gumball in and told them her intentions, Nicole had flatly refused. When she saw him standing miserably with bags on his hands and feet, wearing trunks, and waiting outside the bathroom while Carrie set up the shower, she laughed so hard, tears streamed down her face. To make matters worse, Anais made a video of him struggling to scrub himself with bags on him hands while Carrie stood outside in case she needed to help him. Somehow, he knew she was going to use that footage for leverage at some point...

Still, despite the embarrassing moments, he had to admit he enjoyed Carrie's company. At least she wasn't weird about helping him. But she wasn't the only one. Penny was also helping out. That had taken him completely by surprise. When he'd woken up after the accident, she and Carrie had told him that they were going to help him out. In fact, they made him promise to let them help. At the time, he hadn't realized exactly what that entailed. The girls seemed to have everything figured out, though.

Penny was in charge of transportation and took over when Carrie needed to eat or whatever. Carrie didn't have a license, and she wasn't able to take care of him all the time. We'll that was what they said but both of them had been around everyday, all week. Basically, the three of them had just been hanging out with the girls taking turns helping him. Now they were at the drive in movie, in _his_ car. On his right, a beautiful ghost girl was eating popcorn. On his left, was gorgeous antlered peanut was sipping a drink. And they were helping him eat and drink .

He sighed contentedly. This was indeed a strange heaven. He had the two prettiest girl he knew helping him. He and Penny had begun to relax around each other with all the time they spent together and Carrie was the best help he could have wished for. He was beginning to wonder how he was going to choose between them. Wait, WHAT? His mind reeled for a second as he came to a sudden realization; he was attracted to both of them. Suddenly, he needed to get out of the mini station wagon.

"Uh guys? I need to go to the bathroom." He said nervously.

Carrie smiled. "No problem! I'll go with you."

Gumball mind worked fast. As it was, the last thing he needed was a girl he liked near his zipper and biology was rapidly making that worse. The embarrassment of her seeing that might actually kill him. "N-no! Thank you! I mean, no thanks. I think I can manage."

Carrie let him out. "Are you sure, Gumball? If you need help, you are supposed to let me or Penny help you, remember? You promised."

"Y-yeah, I remember. I just think I can manage on my own. Gotta heal sometime." Gumball laugh nervously. besides, you too haven't seen the movie before. Turning on his heel, Gumball hobbled away as quickly as his injured feet would allow. As he got to the restroom, he did not notice the shadowy figure slip into the room behind him and lock the door.

Gumball went over to the sink and splashed water on his face. As he stood up he caught movement in the mirror and spin around. He found himself staring at the smug face of a 4 foot tall, adorable, pink bunny girl. It was Gumball's 7-year-old sister, Anais.

* * *

Anais Was smiling at her own cleverness. She knew something would happen with those girls. When she had seen Gumball rush off, she figured someone had finally made a she was going to find out which of the girls had moved first.

"So, which one was it?" she asked. "Was it Penny? She seems more assertive, but Carrie has a strength of personality that may have given her the courage. What did she do? Did she kiss you? Hold hands? Come on, Gumball, I am dying to know!" Anais's voice became slightly desperate. Nothing she said was impacting her brother; his face registered only confusion. "Oh, come on! Something must have happened! Otherwise, why run over here?"

There it was. Gumball had flinched. She had him now. "So something did happen, then", Anais mused thoughtfully. "But, you are worried about it. That narrows it down to Carrie."

Gumball laughed nervously. "Come on, sis. Nothing happened. Anyway, Carrie wouldn't do anything like that. She is just helping me out because of my hands." Anais didn't miss the way his eyes darted as he said . But he believed that Carrie wasn't interested. She shook her head. Her brother was smarter than most people gave him credit for, but he was obviously clueless about women. But that meant Carrie hadn't actually done anything. That only left...

Anais gasped, pointing a finger at him. "You like Carrie!" She accused him. Bingo. He flinched again. She couldn't believe it. For years, he had a crush on Penny. How had it changed so suddenly? Had it changed? She couldn't resist testing her theory. "But what about Penny? I thought you loved her." Homerun. He broke.

"I know, OK? I don't know what's going on." He told her about when he was in the car. She laughed, and laughed all the more when he got angry. "This is serious!" Gumball shouted. "What am I supposed to do? Does this mean I am unfaithful? I don't deserve Penny, if I can't control myself."

Anais clutched her sides. "Gumball, calm down" she gasped between giggles. As her laughter subsided, she explained, "It's perfectly normal to develop sexual tension when you are around someone as much as you've been around Carrie lately."

"Really?", Gumball asked, hopeful.

"Sure.", Anais's replied. "You feel physical attraction only. Here watch. Describe Penny - honestly, or it won't prove anything."

"She's awesome.", he said. "Penny is kind, thoughtful, and beautiful. She is always looking to lend a hand to other. She's also really hot because she is so athletic and confident. It is kind of intimidating, but the challenge is exciting, too. It makes me want to be better because she expects and deserves better from me"

Anais nodded. That was exactly as she expected. "Now, Carrie?", she asked. "Remember, honestly - even if it isn't very nice."

"Carrie is kind of shy", Gumball said slowly, "but she is caring and kind. She helps anyone who needs it. She is stunning when she smiles. She makes me want to believe in myself, 'cause she seems to believe in me. She is hot, too but in a shy, reserved way. I feel like it would be totally worth the effort to draw out her passion." He finished his description with the same goofy look on his face as he had when he talked about Penny.

Anais's smile disappeared. The emotion in Gumball's face as he described each girl was the same. He may not know it himself, but he loved them both. "Uh oh" she said. "You officially have a problem, Gumball. You need time to figure this out. Just get through this evening and we'll figure something out." Gumball nodded miserably unlocked the door and hobbled back to his car. Meanwhile Anais was busy thinking and planning.

* * *

Gumball waved nervously to the girls as they walked off. He'd made it through the evening without making a fool of himself. Now he just wanted to sleep. He made his way upstairs and went into the room he and Darwin shared. Sticking his thumbs into the waistband of his pants he undressed. He stripped down to just his shirt and boxers and sat on the bottom bunk of his bed. Normally, he slept in the top, but since his injury he had just stayed at the bottom.

As he went over his evening, he put his head in his hands and sighed._ Forget this,_ he thought._ I'll figure it out in the morning._ With that, he slipped under the covers, and rolled towards the wall. As he was drifting off, a movement on the bed brought him back to the surface enough to realized he wasn't alone.

He could tell he was hugging a warm body. As his brain struggled with towards conciousness, he realized he was tangled in in the arms of of the other body as well. His eyes finally opened and he found himself nose to nose with a strange mirror. His own bewildered expression stared back at him with eyes as shocked and green as his own. The only thing spoiling the illusion was that it was pink.

The two shot back, drew in in a deep breath and screamed in unison, "MOOOOOOOOM!" Their voices actually harmonized somehow. A few seconds later, Nicole burst into the room ready to kill something. Then her eyes fell on the bed and the two cats. They were pointing at each other and staring at her with the same look of fear and anger, unwittingly mirroring one another. They were even wearing the same thing. It was too much for Nicole and she laughed.

Now the two teens looked back at each other, and Gumball's memory sparked. Every birthday he'd had flashed trough his mind. There was always an empty chair, and an unopened present. All his life there had been an empty space. Even the bunk bed had remained half empty most of his life. He reached up into a hiding place behind the headboard and retrieved an old picture. In it, two babies slept, clasping each other exactly the way the two teens had woken moments earlier.

Gumball showed the picture to the pink cat. He laughed nervously. "I guess old habits die hard, huh... sis?" His voice ended in a hopeful upturn. He held out his hand, just like he'd practiced. When she took it, he winced but didn't falter as he lead her across the room while their mother stared. In front of the closet, he took a deep and said the words he'd waited a lifetime to say , "I'm Gumball. You may know this already, but we've shared a birthday for 15 years now. What you may not know, is that I've celebrated it, too. These are for you."

Gumball opened the door. There, in the floor, was was a pile of gifts. 15 to be exact.

Lexy knelt down, "When did you get these? How did you even know I was here?"

"I didn't.", Gumball shrugged. "I just never gave up. I bought the first 4 when we turned 4, and one every year since. I knew you would find your way back. I wanted to make sure you knew that you were never forgotten when you got here. It's nice to see you again, Lexy."

Lexy scrubbed at her eyes and looked him. After a moment she walked over and hugged him. "It's nice to see you too, Gumball."

**So, what's Anais planning? What will she do with her new found knowledge? What will Gumball do about his revelation. And will everyone in the family accept Lexy as readily as her brother? LOL. Who knows? Find out next time.**


End file.
